Today is our last full day of camp. It has been an incredible week here in Estes Park. We have had 5 students place their faith in Christ and step into the Kingdom of God. Last night Afshin spoke out of Matthew 6 and John 17. A couple of the things he said really stuck out to me from his message: "If the reward of heaven is Jesus, and we chase after anything else we are denying that truth" And one of the things that hit us hardest was a reminder: "The greatest gift we've ever received (salvation) came because God denied the prayer of His son in the Garden of Gethsemane." What great perspective for us as we often pray and lose hope when God doesn't answer our prayers the way we want Him to.
This morning, Afshin spent time in Matthew 5 talking about the Beatitudes and what life in the Kingdom of God should look like. We're anticipating great things today as we finish up camp. Tomorrow morning after our final worship session we'll load the bus and head to Denver for lunch followed by an afternoon at Water World. We will then eat dinner and travel to Colorado Springs to spend the night at Discovery Christian Church and will return to Rio Rancho on Saturday morning. Thank you to all who have prayed and or supported our students this week. This isn't just a fun week - some of our students crossed over from death to life! We cannot put a price tag on that! I'm so blessed to be the youth pastor of such a wonderful group of students
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
SL Camp 2013 Day 3
It's Wednesday and we are flying through an incredible week here at Estes Park. We were reminded of the reality of the region we live in yesterday afternoon as a fire burning about 13 miles west of the YMCA campus grew to over 400 acres in size due to strong winds. It was quite a sight and there was a lot of smoke in the air last evening, but the skies are clear so far today, and the fire poses no threat to us or any structures here in Colorado. We had a powerful time of worship last night. Afshin connected the kingdom to its beginnings on the cross. He laid out what our king went through for us to become part of His kingdom. Two of our students responded to the invitation and placed their faith in Christ last night! If nothing else were to happen this week, that alone is worth the price of admission!
I am so amazed by our students, and so very proud to be their youth pastor. They have responded with positive attitudes and avoided dramatic situations that teenagers often dive headfirst into. There has been freedom for the Holy Spirit to move in our midst and I believe that's why our students are able to respond to what God is doing this week. This morning Afshin spoke briefly and then a young woman named Sudi from India shared her story with us. She is with Compassion International and began being sponsored 14 years ago. Our students were then given the opportunity to grab a packet to sponsor a child in poverty through Compassion. This is a great organization, Chelsea and I sponsor a child in Africa and it has been a huge blessing to us.
Our students submitted a huge poster of me that they all signed to Student Life and I was awarded youth pastor of the day this morning. Those crazy kids! We are truly blessed by FBCRR and continually amazed at how great our God is. I can't wait to see what happens next!
I am so amazed by our students, and so very proud to be their youth pastor. They have responded with positive attitudes and avoided dramatic situations that teenagers often dive headfirst into. There has been freedom for the Holy Spirit to move in our midst and I believe that's why our students are able to respond to what God is doing this week. This morning Afshin spoke briefly and then a young woman named Sudi from India shared her story with us. She is with Compassion International and began being sponsored 14 years ago. Our students were then given the opportunity to grab a packet to sponsor a child in poverty through Compassion. This is a great organization, Chelsea and I sponsor a child in Africa and it has been a huge blessing to us.
Our students submitted a huge poster of me that they all signed to Student Life and I was awarded youth pastor of the day this morning. Those crazy kids! We are truly blessed by FBCRR and continually amazed at how great our God is. I can't wait to see what happens next!
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
SL Camp 2013 Day 2
It's Tuesday morning here in Estes Park and things are off to a great start. Last night, our camp speaker Afshin Ziafat laid some groundwork for our theme this week. He spoke out of Matthew 4 and 16 and said we are called to leave the kingdom of this world and become a part of the kingdom of God. The problem is, most of us try to live with one foot in each, holding on to what the world has to offer while trying to chase God. Afshin is a former Muslim whose family is from Iran and he shared his testimony with us last night. It's always refreshing to hear someone share their journey of faith, especially when they faced so many odds.
I'm pretty sure everyone in our group slept quite well after a long day yesterday and they are excited about the first full day of camp. This morning, Afshin spoke out of 1 Samuel how Israel rejected God as their king and chose to become like everyone else. He talked about how God then rejected Saul as king and instead chose David. David was set apart by his humility, service, and faithfulness. Our students are now in their small group bible study time and will go to lunch when they finish. This afternoon, we have prepared a photo scavenger hunt contest for them so that will keep them occupied for a while. We're expecting great things this week because we serve a great God. Thanks for all who are praying!
I'm pretty sure everyone in our group slept quite well after a long day yesterday and they are excited about the first full day of camp. This morning, Afshin spoke out of 1 Samuel how Israel rejected God as their king and chose to become like everyone else. He talked about how God then rejected Saul as king and instead chose David. David was set apart by his humility, service, and faithfulness. Our students are now in their small group bible study time and will go to lunch when they finish. This afternoon, we have prepared a photo scavenger hunt contest for them so that will keep them occupied for a while. We're expecting great things this week because we serve a great God. Thanks for all who are praying!
Monday, June 10, 2013
SL Camp 2013 Day 1
We left Rio Rancho around 12:20am Monday morning and arrived in Estes Park Colorado around 9:30am. The trip went smoothly and our students are actually great travelers. As I write this we are about to eat dinner (yeah, 4:30 it's like we're senior adults). The kids are tired from a long trip and little sleep but they have had great attitudes thus far and are excited about what the week holds.
The theme for this week is Kingdom. Starting tonight after dinner they will dive into that topic in their small group bible studies followed by a corporate time of worship with hundreds of other students (mostly from Texas....haha!) Estes Park is still as beautiful as ever, and what a great backdrop for us this week as we experience God's Kingdom here on earth - here in us. Pray for us!
Saturday, June 8, 2013
10 Things to Remember before leaving for Student Life Camp
Student Life Camp is upon us, and Monday morning around 12:30am we will load onto a charter bus bound for Estes Park, Colorado. We had a meeting a few weeks ago, but just in case you missed it or completely ignored me here are some helpful tips for students to help make the trip go smoothly.
1. Don't forget your motion sickness medication. We'll be in a bus, for over nine hours. The smell of vomit actually worsens over time, but just to be safe let's not test that theory.
2. Pack your toiletries. Believe it or not jr high boys, no amount of Axe body spray can substitute for this thing called a shower. You'll never meet your future wife smelling like that either.
3. It will be 15-20 degrees colder in Estes Park, so you may want to throw in a light jacket or sweater.
4. Get some rest before we leave. You probably won't sleep much on the bus, and we'll start early on Tuesday morning so do yourself a favor and buy yourself some sleep hours ahead of time.
5. Spending money for meals. Even though youth pastors are notoriously loaded with cash, you’ll still want to have enough for yourself just in case.
6. Leave the messy snacks and non- bottled drinks behind. Corn nuts, vienna sausages (yeah, I've had kids bring that), sunflower seeds, and canned drinks don't need to make an appearance on the bus.
7. It’s about a nine hour trip, so instead of asking Nolan how much longer it is, try this simple formula: Total time it takes to get there (9) minus how long we been traveling = the answer to your annoying question.
8. Something to keep yourself entertained. Books are fun - you read them, ipods, handheld videogames, cards, whatever.
9. Bring your bible! You will be using it - probably more during this week than any other week throughout the year.
10. Pray! Specifically for safe travel but also for God to remove any potential distractions that would keep us from having the best week possible.
There you go! Now go pack your bags and get some rest - we're going to have an incredible week!
For the Kingdom!
Nolan
1. Don't forget your motion sickness medication. We'll be in a bus, for over nine hours. The smell of vomit actually worsens over time, but just to be safe let's not test that theory.
2. Pack your toiletries. Believe it or not jr high boys, no amount of Axe body spray can substitute for this thing called a shower. You'll never meet your future wife smelling like that either.
3. It will be 15-20 degrees colder in Estes Park, so you may want to throw in a light jacket or sweater.
4. Get some rest before we leave. You probably won't sleep much on the bus, and we'll start early on Tuesday morning so do yourself a favor and buy yourself some sleep hours ahead of time.
5. Spending money for meals. Even though youth pastors are notoriously loaded with cash, you’ll still want to have enough for yourself just in case.
6. Leave the messy snacks and non- bottled drinks behind. Corn nuts, vienna sausages (yeah, I've had kids bring that), sunflower seeds, and canned drinks don't need to make an appearance on the bus.
7. It’s about a nine hour trip, so instead of asking Nolan how much longer it is, try this simple formula: Total time it takes to get there (9) minus how long we been traveling = the answer to your annoying question.
8. Something to keep yourself entertained. Books are fun - you read them, ipods, handheld videogames, cards, whatever.
9. Bring your bible! You will be using it - probably more during this week than any other week throughout the year.
10. Pray! Specifically for safe travel but also for God to remove any potential distractions that would keep us from having the best week possible.
There you go! Now go pack your bags and get some rest - we're going to have an incredible week!
For the Kingdom!
Nolan
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Hello my name is...
Last month, Chelsea and I attended Catalyst Dallas and I had the opportunity to meet one of my favorite author/communicators Andy Stanley. I have read several of his books and watched or listened to numerous messages and talks he has given the past few years. It was a cool moment for me, but also quite humbling. Andy didn't drop a truth grenade on me during our 15 second conversation, but he did do something unintentionally that reminded me of a lesson I'm in constant need of learning: my name doesn't matter as much as I think it does. I walked up, shook his hand, told him my name, he asked if it was spelled with an i or an a, signed my book, and I walked away with the giddyness of a middle school girl. Here is what that moment looked like, you can even see Andy pronouncing my name to make sure he got it right:
It wasn't until later when I opened the book that I realized what Andy had done in that moment:
It wasn't until later when I opened the book that I realized what Andy had done in that moment:
Who the heck is NOLON? The moment wasn't any less cool, but I have to admit my ego took a little bit of a hit when I read that. The reason why is because I'm often guilty of pride and self promotion. I want to be known. I want to be liked. I want people to know and remember my name, because I often believe so much of my identity is attached to it. I want to leave a legacy and not be forgotten when I'm gone. Isn't that what I'm here for? Wouldn't God honor that? But then I read Isaiah 42:8, which says: "I am the Lord that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols."
It turns out my name isn't as important as I thought. I still want to be known and liked, but the glory I often chase after belongs to God. And as it turns out, He's not going to share it with anything less than Himself. Thankfully, I am known - maybe not by Andy Stanley and maybe not by a lot of people but by the one whose name is the Lord. His name is higher. My name is not important. His name is I Am. My name is I Am Not.
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